Time After Time
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: "You say go slow... I fall behind... the second hand unwinds..." When you can't keep them back anymore, who do they reach out to? (Co-written with Cry-Of-A-Warp-Engine)
1. Can I Ever Escape?

_**Amanda's**_ _ **perspective**_ **…**

 _The match was going great, Brie always knows to not make the shots too stiff… but suddenly, she stopped and looked outside the ring, eyes wide with terror._

 _She couldn't even speak… and once I saw what she did, neither could I… what the hell was Owen Hart doing here?! He looks just like he did seconds after falling and hitting the top rope at Over The Edge 1999…_

" _This… this feels wrong, you shouldn't be seeing me like this, ladies." Owen said, Brie helping me up._

" _Come on, let's go find Finn and Daniel." Brie whispered before we bolted up the ramp and into the backstage area… only to run into another person we all lost… and me turning to where Brie was seconds ago._

 _Slowly, I turned back to 'Macho Man' Randy Savage… bruises that were caused post mortem because a heart attack had killed him while he was driving in 2011._

" _Ooh yeah, little lady… hell of a match out there!" Macho Man said enthusiastically, me scrambling back and running down the hall… only to crash into someone._

 _She picks me up to my feet… then I realise that it's Miss Elizabeth._

" _Mandy, it's-" Elizabeth replied, me shrieking in terror and running for my life… only to be grabbed around my waist and stopped in my tracks._

" _Get off of me!" I yelled, getting out of his strong grip… and seeing that Eddie had stopped me from falling down the steps… the last time he held me was the time we last hugged, November 12th 2005._

" _Tómelo con calma ahora, pequeña dama." Eddie replied… now I'm getting mad!_

" _I will not take it easy, what the hell is going on here?! And where did Brie disappear off to?!" I shout at the top of my lungs._

" _Daddy always said that you had a sailor mouth." I hear, turn and see little Daniel Benoit… even after so long, the way he looked in death still horrifies me._

" _Did you find her?!" We hear Chris and Nancy ask before they reach us… bruises on their necks and suffocation marks on Daniel's head, Nancy died from strangulation and Chris's death was self inflicted._

" _Mandy-" Chris started to say._

" _No… no, you're not here, none of you are!" I responded before taking off again, trying to find anyone that's not dead!_

 _I crash into a person much taller than me this time and fall hard to the floor… he picks me up with ease and puts me on his lap after sitting down, me seeing the blue eyes of Andre The Giant._

" _C'est bon, jeune femme." Andre replied kindly._

" _Andre, I don't know what's going on… I was in a match with my friend, then I saw Owen, Macho Man, Elizabeth, Eddie, Chris, Nancy, Daniel and now you're here…" I say through my sobs, the gentle giant hugging me as I'm too overwhelmed to talk coherently._

" _There's a reason for all of this, Mandy…" Andre said, tilting my head up so I can look at him again._

" _Wh… why?" I manage to ask, my voice croaky._

" _Someone just arrived… broke the barrier between life and death, and one of her strongest links is to you… this is the result, Mandy." Andre explained._

" _Sh… she?" I managed to ask… before I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. Dreading seeing anyone else, I slowly turned… of course it was. Who else would appear other than my childhood, sisterly friend?_

 _Sachael was almost flickering between two appearances. One, like the others, was how she died, with… blood all down her chest and her face severely damaged. The other… a blue glowing figure with white outlines around the edges, flowing and rippling almost like she was made of water._

" _Sachael…" I said quietly, Sachael climbing into Andre's lap too since we were both small enough for the gentle giant to hold._

" _I'm coming back, Mandy… to the world and for the world." Sachael whispered, and as she placed her hand on my cheek… it felt like it was wet with water, but left none behind on my skin._

" _Coming back… I don't…" I said, Sachael lightly shushing me._

" _It will make sense soon… but if you don't get out of this dream now, you'll end up late to the training. We'll be… around you, we always will." Sachael said quietly._

 _Andre held me to him like a tired child, lightly kissing my forehead._

" _Andre…" I try to respond, wanting to tell him something._

" _It's okay, kiddo… there's always next time…" Andre whispered before everything disappeared…_

 **Third person perspective…**

Amanda opened her eyes in the hotel room, the nightmare still in her mind… she remembered Finn saying something about Bayley having forgotten to grab her NXT Women's Championship and going to help her look for it.

As she turned to reach for the lamp, the hotel door clicked and opened… Finn turned the light on to its lowest setting, just enough to see by as he walked in and closed the door.

But he knew something was wrong when he saw tears trailing down Amanda's face and rushed over to her, sitting down and lightly brushing her hair back… Amanda immediately bolted upright and her arms wrapped around him, Finn taken aback by the sudden hug but returning it with one of his own as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Hey… it's alright, whatever it was, it was just a dream. You're okay now… it's just us in the same hotel room." Finn said quietly, as he held her in his arms.

Amanda regained control of her breathing and they looked at each other… she mouthed Owen's name and Finn knew that was who she first saw in her nightmare.

"It was just a dream… but it just… every second I was running around, I crashed into someone I either knew or watched when I was younger. The scariest one was Chris, I wanted to yell at him, ask him why he did what he did… I never hated him once, why did I want to hate him so long after it happened? How could I hate the man who had become like a second father to me, he had no memory of it but… he took away Nancy and little Daniel." Amanda whispered as Finn reached his hands up and cradled her tearstained face in them as her hands rested on his wrists.

"How could you be angry at Seth when you at first didn't remember what he did? Sometimes… you don't have to remember something, just know that it happened. And sometimes… not often, but on rare occasion… it takes over our senses of what people meant to us before." Finn answered after thinking for a moment.

Amanda nodded as Finn took her into his arms again and the two stretched out on the bed, Finn pulling and readjusting the covers over them as he held Amanda… she was still trembling as he ran his fingers through her hair after brushing her tears away.

And then he remembered the bottle of Advil nearby, the one specifically used for migraine relief… and that it was strong enough to disorient Amanda to the point of nightmares but never this terrifying.

It was nearly 5 in the morning when he noticed that she was still fighting sleep… leaning in, Finn kissed Amanda on her forehead as she rubbed her half open eyes.

"You'll be here still… right?" Amanda asked quietly, looking for reassurance.

"Close your eyes for as long as you need to, Mandy…" Finn responded in the same soft tone, Amanda's eyes closing despite not wanting to.

Exhaustion usually won out no matter what she tried… Finn closed his own eyes once he was sure she was deep in sleep.


	2. Rattled

The strong morning sun hit his eyes, Finn opening them and looking at Amanda, who's face was still red from crying… reaching over, he rested his left hand on it, inadvertently evoking a scared and faint cry from her.

"Hey, it's alright. It's only silly, funny accented me." Finn said quietly, shifting closer and placing his other hand to the side of her ribcage, hugging her as she leant her face in towards his shoulder.

Amanda opened her eyes slowly, seeing that it was a little after 9 in the morning.

"The training session's at noon…" Amanda responded, remembering that she promised to help Asuka before NXT TakeOver Dallas, which was in nearly two months… the road to Wrestlemania was always the most nerve wracking, especially for those new to WWE… she tried to sit up, her stomach unsettled from the migraine she had and Finn helping her lie back down on her side and rubbing his right hand up and down her back.

"You don't have to do it, but I know you when you've made a promise… we've got plenty of time for you to take to calm and compose yourself." Finn replied, as he reached over to the bedside table and picked up one of the bottles of spring water that was often put in hotel rooms, bringing it back over to Amanda.

Amanda sat up when it was opened and slowly sipped it until it was half empty… she set it aside and slowly stood up with Finn helping her, the two holding each other for a few minutes.

Amanda went to go splash water onto her face, Finn hearing his phone ring and answering it.

"Everything okay?" Sami asked.

"Uh… more or less, but Mandy had quite the nightmare… everyone she ever loved and lost was around her." Finn answered.

"Damn… we'll have to keep a closer eye on her then…" Sami responded.

"Sami, has this happened before I met you two?" Finn asked.

"Once but it involved Chris… and by the second day of sleep deprivation, Mandy put her fist through a window and cut her left hand really badly. She was about 22 when she did that… her wrist got slashed in the process." Sami explained.

"Wait, you're telling me that it drove her to…" Finn tried to ask, stopping himself.

"It was accidental, she only acted out of uncontrollable feelings… and it scared her more than anything, being that close to her own passing." Sami answered.

At the same time, Amanda lifted her head up to look in the restroom mirror and dried her face off.

"Get a hold of yourself, Cena." Amanda muttered… before seeing one of the ones she saw from her nightmare last night. "I'm losing it…" She whispered as Nancy reached out to her, long black hair fluttering slightly.

"You're not, Mandy, I assure you of that… we're always around you and watching over you, we've started becoming visible to you due to your old friend's… disturbances to the balance." Nancy responded softly.

"Sachael…" Amanda said quietly, hazel eyes still reddened from her crying. "She had her whole life ahead of her, Nancy…" She said, Nancy lightly stroking Amanda's disheveled hair.

Another hand rested on her arm, Amanda seeing Chris.

"I'm sorry I tried to yell at you…" Amanda said, feeling guilty… but seconds later, she felt Chris's arms wrap around her. "Why? I needed you two and little Danny… why did you leave me and everyone, why?" She whispered, finally asking after nearly 9 years as her hazel eyes looked into Chris's blue ones and his hands rested on her face. "Please don't go…"

"We can't always understand things, Mandy… but we are always with you, know that." Chris responded.

"I miss being able to hug you… to talk to you." Amanda said.

"I know, Little One… I miss it too." Chris replied as the two hugged.

But after they let go, he and Nancy were gone… Amanda turned to the mirror and grabbed the Clear Eyes eye drops.

When they were ready for the day, Amanda and Finn were downstairs in the lobby when Roman saw how tired they looked and walked over, putting two cups of coffee in front of them.

"That bad of a night?" Roman asked, sitting down.

Amanda nodded as she sipped the coffee, Roman knowing she was trying to avoid talking about it as she thought it would make him see her as crazy… Roman reached his right hand out, resting it on her left arm.

"Hey, we all have strange and horrible dreams and thoughts at times… and we all miss people. I know that look in your eyes." Roman said in a gentle tone.

"They were all there, everywhere I turned… even one I lost when I was a kid, Roman…" Amanda responded, Roman moving closer and pulling her into his arms. "Please don't tell anyone else, okay?" She asked both of them before Sami sat down.

"Between us…" Finn said reassuringly, Sami and Roman nodding.

At the arena later, Amanda and Asuka were going through their training session when Asuka noticed Amanda's exhaustion and got her to sit down.

"Taihen'na yoru?" Asuka asked.

"Yoku nemurenakatta." Amanda responded, her memory of Japanese language faded… but Asuka's gentle hug assured her that she had answered properly.

In the backstage area, Amanda felt a hand tap her right shoulder, yelled out and spun around, her spinning backfist whacking Cody across the face and sending him stumbling back.

"What the fuck's the matter with you, did you leave your manners at the hotel?!" Amanda shouted, Cody backing up a bit.

"Relax, I only tapped you! Damn, what's crawled up your panties today?!" Cody responded, his hand placing over the spot of impact.

"Had a really bad night… damn migraine wouldn't budge. Sorry I whacked you." Amanda replied, Cody seeing the more than usual amount of concealer that she had under her eyes… footsteps were heard running to them, the two seeing Finn and Viktor.

"He told me she had a rough night and said not to scare her… but…" Viktor said.

"I scared her…" Cody replied.

Amanda headed off away from them and reached the women's restroom, running in… she inadvertently pushed Alexa out of the way, locked the stall door and Alexa heard her throwing up.

"Has a baby gotten you a bubbling belly, Cena?!" Alexa questioned as she stood outside the entrance to the cubicle.

A garbled "Oh, shove off!" was Amanda's response after she stopped and flushed the toilet, Alexa scoffing and heading out of the restroom and saw Finn.

"Where is she?!" Finn asked.

"Putting bubbles in a bog bowl is where she is right now." Alexa answered, and stepped forward to pass him. "Shoulda used Durex pal, Trojan breaks when you pin her to the wall." She said as she stepped away behind him.

Finn walked into the restroom and locked the main door, walking to the stall door and knocking on it. When it opened, Amanda looked at him and he guided her to the row of sinks.

"I saw that blood trailing from Cody's mouth and couldn't hold it in. And is it just me or is Alexa bitchier than normal?" Amanda said quietly as Finn grabbed a small paper cup and filled it with water before handing it to her, Amanda drinking it as Finn lightly stroked her hair before wrapping his right arm around her and getting her to lean against him.

"She does seem a bit more agitated than usual… maybe _she's_ the one having mood swings." Finn replied, joking about the last part.

Amanda chuckled to herself, Finn seeing a small smile.

"That's better." Finn said before Amanda threw the empty cup away, the two leaving and heading to their locker room.

At the same time, the door to the Women's locker room opened and Sasha and Bayley saw Alexa with a smug grin.

"What idea has gotten into your head now, Bliss?" Sasha asked sarcastically.

"Mandy throwing up randomly, Finn running to her like a dog reunited with its faithful human… all looks a bit new parent-ish to me." Alexa answered.

"I'll call you back." Bayley said, her and Aaron hanging up. "Are you fucked up on something? They would've told us." She responded, Alexa going wide eyed at hearing Bayley swearing.

"Tone your language down before that demon spawn that'll call you Auntie is born, Bayley." Alexa replied before the door opened, all three seeing Stephanie.

"My office, now… it's about the changes after Wrestlemania 32." Stephanie said, the three following her.


	3. Extended Family

"Better?" Finn asked after Amanda got redressed and fixed up her makeup after her shower.

"Yeah. Just want to-" Amanda answered, cut off by a knock at the door. "Come in." She said, the door opening and Hunter seeing how pale she looked.

"I heard that you had a bad night… how are you holding up?" Hunter said, as he closed the door behind himself and stepped into the room.

"Off… nearly tripped during a practice session, busted Cody open by accident and then threw up." Amanda explained, Hunter getting her to sit down. "I feel like I'm losing my mind, Hunter." She said quietly as he crouched down to her.

"You're fine, Mandy. It's natural for us to be shaken up after chaos like this… even I was once. We all have been or will be." Hunter responded, his hands resting on her upper arms.

The two hugged for a few minutes, Hunter and Finn helping her up to her feet.

"Think you can go through with it?" Hunter asked, Amanda nodding.

In the office, Stephanie was on the third subject of the meeting.

"Now if there's anything that any of you feel will disrupt the plans for upcoming events, feel free to speak." Stephanie replied, Alexa raising her hand. "Yes, Miss Bliss?" She asked.

"Yeah, plans might need to shift with Mandy's rather obvious pregnancy. Throwing up in the toilet with Finn right there like a faithful dog, then cuddly conversations behind closed doors, you can't tell me that it's not happening." Alexa said.

"I am so fucking embarrassed now." Amanda muttered into Finn's left shoulder as he held her and some of their older coworkers turning furious towards Finn.

"Hey, let's not let this escalate any further, alright?" Finn responded after putting Amanda behind him as Ric Flair charged over to him threateningly, still intimidating even at nearly 67 years old.

"I thought you'd know better, condoms and pills, are their definitions in either of your heads?! I don't know who that girl is dating, but it sure as hell ain't you, Balor!" Ric growled ragefully.

"Dad, calm down. Please." Charlotte whispered after walking over, Ric seeing that his youngest daughter was frightened by his anger and taking a breath, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Finn's a great man, he needs to be around Mandy and their baby." She said.

"Alexa's a lying bitch!" Amanda snapped, having had enough and climbing onto the desk. "I'm not pregnant! The majority of you know that I've suffered from migraines since I was 19 and they make me physically sick for a day or two afterwards!" She explained, Alexa laughing it off as Finn and John carefully pulled Amanda off of the desk.

"Okay. Uh, Brock, your street fight against Dean-" Stephanie said, trying to distract them but an angered Brock walked over and got in Finn's face.

"What did you think, it would be funny?! Or even a good idea at all?! You knock her up, and you have the nerve to act like nothing happened?! Oh, now he's scowling at me, you want to bite?! Spit in my goddamn face, I dare you!" Brock yelled, shoving Finn's shoulder midway through.

"Brock Edward Lesnar, cut it out now! You and I've known each other for nearly 15 years and you're gonna believe Alexa over me?!" Amanda responded, Brock turning to her with the anger lessening… aside from Sable and his parents, Amanda was one of the few that Brock would let get away with using his full name. "Stop seeing me as that kid and see me as the woman stood before you." She said, Brock giving in.

"Okay… I believe you." Brock said before turning to Finn. "Sorry about that, kid." He apologized.

Once Amanda and Finn were in their locker room, they looked at each other.

"I thought he or Ric were gonna rip you limb from limb." Amanda said as the two held each other.

"I think had sense not come to them, they would've tried to." Finn replied, his hand lightly stroking up and down her side. "But it does show, though… not everyone accepts things as well as they appear to."

"Yeah… I still remember the night Brock had broken Bob Holly's neck. Safe to say I didn't go near Brock for a while after that but I was only 12 then." Amanda responded as they sat down.

At the same time, Brock was in his locker room when he heard "What were you thinking back there, buddy?", turned and his eyes widening when he saw Eddie Guerrero.

"You've been dead for over a decade, how are you here?!" Brock asked in shock and fright, something that the Beast Incarnate rarely felt.

"You'd be surprised at how often we're around, Brock… but you looked like you were gonna kill Finn back there." Eddie responded.

"Had he and Mandy really abandoned protection without any planning or forethought about it… I would have hurt him badly." Brock replied with a nod.

"I know it ain't easy to let go but she's all grown up and he's a good man to her." Eddie said as they sat down. "I miss that little girl too, Brock… every day. She saw the world through innocent eyes when I no longer did." He replied.

"She tried to again… but then it was ripped out from under her. Eddie… do you think he could help her feel put back together?" Brock responded.

"I think he already does… but there's a lot further to carry her, and his legs are far from tired." Eddie answered.

Back in their locker room, Amanda was resting her head in Finn's lap before she saw someone crouch down to her… unlike the others, Andrew Martin hadn't been talking to her in last night's dream.

"Did I… upset you, Andy?" Amanda asked quietly, the tall man lightly reaching over and tucking some of her hair behind her right ear.

"Of course you didn't, kiddo… Sachael thought that too many of us at once would overwhelm you." Andrew explained.

"I remember talking to you the night before your death… not a sign of anything wrong. Why didn't you tell me you were hurting, I would've-" Amanda replied, Andrew resting his hand on her arm. "Helped you…"

"Honey, there was nothing you could do… I know that's not fair but everything caught up with me. Don't let it catch up with you." Andrew said before disappearing.

 _ **WWE SmackDown taping scheduled to air 2/11/16, Cosmic Wasteland vs Neville/Lucha Dragons…**_

The match loss was hard to take, that much was clear… still in character, Cody grabbed a microphone and let out a manic laugh as he approached Amanda, who was on commentary. Cody reached over, pulling on the front of Amanda's oversized Balor Club hoodie as creative made a last minute change.

"Tell me… are you planning things that require 'extra space' Mandy? Whether that's the demon prince or princess, or just eating a lot is simply beyond me, mind you." Cody questioned.

"Get off me." Amanda said, Cody laughing again as he quickly rubbed his hand onto her stomach and lowered his head to it. "Stardust…" She warned, Cody paying no attention.

"Oh don't worry, we'll all be nice to the demon descendant, won't we?" Cody responded, also earning mixed responses from the audience.

"Cody!" Amanda growled.

"Hey kid, tell your mom to chill and as for your dad-" Cody said, feeling himself being yanked away and seeing Finn standing in between him and Amanda to protect her.

"You're scaring her, knock it off!" Finn said in a low tone, Cody turning to a teen girl in the audience, her Balor Club tank top tied and cut in certain places.

"You look really angered, young lady! What's on your mind?" Cody said, Finn guiding Amanda away from there as Viktor and Konnor tried to drag Cody away.

"Holy fuck, what are the idiots in creative thinking?!" Amanda hissed as she sat down once they were backstage, Finn resting his hands on her sides after crouching down a bit.

But before he could respond, he was dragged away from her and Amanda shrieked as Seth, who they thought had been in Davenport, threw Finn against the wall and pinned his right forearm against Finn's throat… Seth had been distracted enough and Amanda pulled him off and gave him a hard slap before she checked on Finn, who was coughing.

"There's something called anger management classes, I suggest you take them!" Amanda responded angrily.

"Well you know what class you should take?! One of two paths… parenting or clinic. But oh look, the road to the parenting class has been torn up-" Seth shouted… before he was cut off as all three of them suddenly found their surroundings gone, replaced by a seemingly endless room of black, with a slightly lighter, navy blue floor. "The fuck are you playing at?!" He yelled.

"This… this ain't nothing to do with me…" Amanda responded, as she looked around at the empty surroundings, Finn stepping up and resting his hands on her, one on her shoulder and one on her back, in a protective manner… and it only pissed Seth off more.

"Mandy-" Seth demanded.

"The last time I saw a room similar to this, I was 16!" Amanda blurted out, covering her mouth as Seth put together that there was a differently painted room in the Benoit house. "Chris… is it you and Sachael?" She asked after lowering her hand.

"The link to you is what she's bringing herself through, I'm… sorry." Chris's voice sounded out across the room.

"Sorry for…" Amanda started to question, before there was a loud ringing in her ears and a sudden, migraine feeling like her eyes were being squashed from inside, and Finn caught her as she cried out and nearly fell. It took too long to fade away and when it did, Amanda was left breathless, vision blurred and an ache at the top of her spine.

"What… the hell was that?!" Seth questioned… before they heard a noise, a strange one like the noise of wind when opening a long sealed door… and out of a glowing, darkened purple cloud stepped the blue, watery outline of Amanda's childhood friend, the same as she'd seen in her dream.

"That… was me. And that headache was too strong but don't you see why I did this? Don't you still feel any kind of love for her, friendship or the love of an older sibling?" Sachael explained after looking at Seth.

Sachael walked over to Finn and Amanda, resting her hand on Amanda's head to soothe the ache.

"I think we need to switch scenery again…" Sachael said quietly before everything changed around them into the locker room… being careful as he could, Finn picked Amanda up and put her on the couch as Chris walked over and crouched down.

"I don't want to sleep…" Amanda whispered as Chris lightly brushed her hair back.

"You don't have to… just rest. Finn, stay with her, Seth, Sachael, follow me." Chris responded, Sachael dragging Seth with her.

"She was always really strong for her size…" Amanda whispered as Finn pulled a blanket over her.


	4. The Thin Line

"So how many others plan on showing up?" Seth growled once they were in a separate locker room.

"A lot… we're not sure how many exactly." Chris responded, glancing at Sachael.

"What's happened with me is I've become an 'elemental' angel, I… I'm the spirit of water, in a sense. But to do that I had to fully re-enter the living world, and others have snapped up the chance to sneak in through the gateway I caused." Sachael explained.

"We damn sure did and if you ever put your hands on that girl or her friend again-" Roddy yelled furiously after he appeared, Dusty also appearing and trying to calm him down.

"Calm down, Roddy, their emotions got the better of them!" Dusty said. "Now if y'all don't mind, I've got that kid of mine to go shock some sense into." He replied before leaving.

Dusty reappeared in Cody's locker room, Cody screaming in fright and jumping so high that he was on the ceiling fan.

"Easy now son, it's just your dear old dad." Dusty said calmly, Cody letting himself drop to the floor and landing on his feet.

"Why are you here?" Cody asked after calming down enough.

"Well, I didn't like you scaring poor Mandy out there! I know it was scripted but the poor girl wasn't sure whether you were gonna attack her or not." Dusty answered.

"The same as you would have… I followed the script, I wouldn't have done anything it didn't tell me to do!" Cody responded.

"I know but it doesn't lessen how she felt." Dusty replied.

"And what about-" Cody started to respond.

"Finn showed up out there to protect her, much like you used to… but at least your reaction out there was different." Dusty said.

"I don't even need to guess who's pissed off and wants the second gen demon gone, do I?" Cody replied.

"Namely who we all expect… but we can never be sure about people's hidden feelings. Despite what people seem to think at times, we the departed can't read minds." Dusty responded with a nod.

"Speaking of which-" Cody replied.

"That's best left to Roddy. You know that." Dusty responded with a slight smirk.

In the locker room he reemerged in, Roddy saw Amanda and Finn stretched out on the couch.

"The moment the word clinic left his mouth, I just wanted to hit him again. What the fuck, he knows I would never go through with that!" Amanda said as Finn held her. "Roddy, I know you're there." She said quietly, turning her head to see him.

"He's lost all limits, that man… there's barely any point trying to reason with him anymore, his opinions seem set in stone." Roddy responded.

"And nothing will change them…" Amanda replied, Roddy resting a hand on her left shoulder.

"You might think that now… but as we remember, people do change." Roddy said before turning the Tv volume up a bit… Chris Jericho was up against AJ Styles and had won before being interviewed after the match by Renee.

"Chris, hell of a match but you seemed like you wanted to prove a point to someone tonight and she wasn't out here-" Renee started to ask, Chris gently taking the microphone from her and looking right at the camera he knew was linked to several Tvs in the back, one being the one in Amanda and Finn's locker room… he briefly smiled before forming his mouth into a thin line for a few seconds, anger barely hidden in his eyes resembling that of a father of a teenage daughter.

"That there are _certain_ secrets people with secrets that they hopelessly hide… and secrets that must be gotten rid of." Chris responded, speaking to the camera.

"Oh, go and shove a sex toy up your-" Amanda replied, Finn clamping his hand over her mouth and Roddy trying not to laugh as he knew she picked up some bad habits from him.

"Needless to say I was a bad influence on her when she was a teenager." Roddy said with a laugh as Chris got to the part of an ultimatum basically.

"Your choice… a wedding you plan or a wedding I force you two into with a shotgun! I want my answer on the next episode of Raw!" Chris shouted before leaving.

"That was a step too far." Chris heard as he entered the backstage area, turning to see Sachael there, in a more solid, living appearance.

"Too far?! They're the ones who forgot protection!" Chris responded.

"She's not pregnant Chris, she just had a nightmare and a migraine…" Sachael replied, before she stepped forward from the wall she was leant against, and extended out a pair of wings from her back. "An angel would know if a new life was entering the world, don't you think?"

"Yes you would… damn it, I screwed up bad, didn't I?" Chris said.

"Yes you did. And if she does forgive you, you're in for a damn good hiding from multiple directions first." Sachael responded.

Chris nodded and went to go get cleaned off, Sachael knowing there was a lot on his mind.

At the hotel, Finn carefully led Amanda into it, the tiny brunette hiding her face with the hood of her hoodie and her eyes with sunglasses.

"Go get a real job, you vultures!" Finn yelled at the press before closing the door, Amanda taking her sunglasses off.

"Damn media." Amanda muttered before she spotted Alexa. Amanda and Finn walked over, Alexa standing up in her intoxicated state.

"Hey… you think your little one might want a drink? Here, I'll pour it in through your bellybutton for you…" Alexa slurred, picking up her bottle of drink.

"Don't touch her!" Finn growled, putting Amanda behind him protectively and Alexa letting out a howling laugh as Murphy walked over.

"Babe, I think you've had enough." Murphy said, taking the Budweiser from Alexa.

"Bug off, don't be a right ass!" Alexa slurred in response, as Amanda noticed that there was a man nearby watching them, until he stood up and walked over after hearing that. He looked around his late 60s, or early 70s, dressed to the era of his youth.

"Young lady, should I hear language like that from your mouth again, you'll be in for a good smacked bottom!" The man warned. Amanda knew she shouldn't, but she had to cover her mouth to hold in a laugh at Alexa getting that telling off.

"My language?! Hers is much worse and so will any of the little unwanted bastard's words!" Alexa responded, dropping the bottle and beer flying everywhere which prompted Amanda to bring her right hand up and Alexa screaming as she was slapped.

"Any kids I have will never be unwanted, you bitch!" Amanda yelled, Finn managing to hold her back as he knew she was pissed and taking her into the elevator… he closed the doors, seeing Amanda trying not to cry and taking her into his arms.

"I know you'd never let a kid go, never not treat it well… some people just never bother to try and listen." Finn said as he lightly rubbed her back.

Amanda looked up at him, their arms secured around each other.

"And she's one who won't." Amanda whispered as Finn kissed her on her forehead, his right hand resting on her lower back.

When the two were in their room, Amanda had gotten cleaned off and was dressed for bed, a Balor Club shirt in place of her pajamas and the shirt nearly reaching her knees as Finn held her, knowing she was fighting sleep.

But like last night, she gave in… and into a dream.

 _Nearly 6 months pregnant, Amanda let out a sleepy noise as she tried to get comfortable, feeling the strong kicks of the twins. Reaching over, Finn rested his hand on her stomach._

" _Night owls, these two." Amanda mumbled, her eyes half open._

" _They get that from us both, all the late nights we have while at work." Finn replied as he felt a couple of small pokes to his hand, knowing it was their babies' little feet. "We made these little miracles…" He said softly._

" _Before we know it, they'll start trying to climb into that ring… scared me out of my mind when Aurora did that when she was 11 months old." Amanda responded. "Then when she was about four years old, she tried to climb up to the top turnbuckle… once they get to walking, running and climbing, they turn anything into their playground." She said, Finn smiling slightly._

 _The door opened hesitantly, both seeing 2 year old Birdie looking at them with tears in her eyes as she climbed onto the bed and Amanda hugging her._

" _Birdie, what's wrong, sweetheart? Bad dreams?" Amanda asked, Birdie wrapping her tiny arms around her godmother and resting her head on Amanda's stomach as Finn rested his hand on Birdie's tiny shoulder._

" _I shouldn't have been watching Tv but I was… and that mean lady you work with was on there." Birdie responded quietly._

" _Birdie, what did she say?" Finn asked._

" _She was talking about… what 'should' happen to the little ones, it was… she was horrible…" Birdie answered, her hands shaking as she thought of what Alexa had been saying._

" _Look at us, sweetie… nothing bad will happen to your cousins, okay? We promise." Amanda said reassuringly, Birdie putting her tiny hands on Amanda's stomach and smiling when the twins moved around._

 _When she was asleep between them, Amanda looked at Finn._

" _How can Alexa not realise how precious kids are? Our little ones, Birdie, all the kids… they have their whole lives ahead of them and should live them to the fullest." Amanda whispered as she lightly stroked Birdie's chocolate colored curls._

" _And they will whether Alexa likes it or not." Finn responded before they kissed…_


	5. Glimpses

Amanda opened her eyes when she heard a knock at the door and tried to get up, Finn instinctively tightening his grip on her and resting his head on her left shoulder.

"Finn, someone's in the hallway." Amanda whispered but Finn's eyes stayed closed… his right arm was wrapped around her with the hand resting on her lower back, his left hand on her right hip. "You're not gonna let go of me until you're good and ready, are ya?" She asked.

"Nope… we're staying right here." Finn muttered, half asleep still.

"Do I really need to… fine." The voice outside the door said, the voice itself making Amanda raise her head up… then the sound of running water filled the room, and Finn's eyes slowly opened in response as a pool of water began to spread under the door, and finally a few seconds later, Sachael quickly formed out of the large puddle, ringing wetness out of her hair as she reached her normal height. "Don't trouble yourself with getting up." She said as she headed to the table at the end of the room, looking through the assorted sachets and small packets there as she gathered the things she'd need to make tea and coffee.

"He can be… very cuddly at night and into the morning." Amanda responded.

"And you wonder why people think you're a full on couple… though I don't think I'd be complaining, you remember how much I used to like some huggles myself." Sachael replied, as she filled up three cups of water, cold… but they started to heat up and boil as soon as she held her hand above them.

"Never anything wrong with a hug-hey, stop pinching me!" Amanda said, yelping slightly and Finn waking up fully.

"You know, I died innocent… I don't think I'll ever even begin to understand the things you lot get up to." Sachael said with a small laugh.

"Were Sasha and Mikaze at it last night?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah… and I went to the room above, and what did I see? Enzo with the metal legged girl in his arms, they were having a very… close, slow dance." Sachael answered.

"He's supposed to be with Liv." Finn and Amanda said simultaneously.

"You two aren't a couple but you still cuddle and sleep in the same bed, don't you? Maybe one or both just had a hard day." Sachael responded, as she put in the coffee granules and tea bags into their respective cups. "I'll let you handle your sweetness stuff with those."

Sachael headed out and up into the sixth floor… and instinctively dodging a flying shoe.

"Get out!" Liv yelled as she threw more things at Enzo.

"Liv I swear, there's nothing going on with me and her! It was just a dance, nothing else happened!" Enzo responded as he ducked a flying hair brush.

"I'm calling bullshit on that, Zo!" Liv screamed.

"Finn and Mandy are friends and they share the same rooms, beds and closeness!" Enzo replied defensively.

"Yeah but the difference is, they're both single!" Liv responded, Sachael tilting her head to the side briefly as she didn't necessarily agree with it, but understood why Liv would find that okay and Enzo and Dianne not so much.

"This world is twisted." Sachael muttered as Liv threw the rest of Enzo's things at him and slammed and locked the door.

"Fuck…" Enzo muttered before seeing Sachael.

"I wouldn't have held it against you so much, but she is right about one thing… your head has become conflicted, and you need to straighten that out. Make it firm as to who is friend and who is romantic partner." Sachael said, standing up from having her back leant against the wall.

"Yeah, but Dianne is… more of a sister to me than a romantic partner." Enzo responded, Sachael looking down at the floor for a moment, before looking back up at him.

"Really, though?" Sachael questioned, Enzo narrowing his eyes slightly in confusion. "Try spending a little bit of time away from her, from both of them… and think of it, how you miss them both, what you really want in knowing them."

"And… you knew that… how exactly?" Enzo questioned, Sachael smiling slightly.

"I'm an angel… it's what I do." Sachael answered.

Enzo took her advice… and after realising it, Liv found herself knocking on the door to Amanda and Finn's room.

Finn opened the door, Liv walking in and noticing the scent of peppermint tea before seeing the cup in Amanda's hand.

"Liv, we're running on six hours of sleep here, what's going on?" Amanda asked.

"I just went and threw Enzo out, he… spent the night with another woman. And who it was, well you'll never guess. What would I rate her… Eyes: 6/10. Body shape: 7/10. Voice: 6/10. Legs… 1.5/2!" Liv responded, the last part referencing to Dianne's right leg being prosthetic below the knee.

"Consider yourself lucky you still have both of yours… for now." Amanda replied threateningly, Liv stepping back in a startled manner.

"I'm just saying… he spent the night with her, and I'm not sure whether it was good or bad that he didn't even hesitate to truthfully answer me when I asked him earlier this morning where he'd been." Liv responded.

"Beat it, we've gotta get ready for a press conference!" Amanda said, Liv turning to Finn.

"She getting hormonal already?" Liv questioned, before looking back at Amanda. "Well thank you 'supportive friend'... I'd get more helpful advice asking a bag of garbage, wouldn't I?!" She said sarcastically.

"Well if you were a friend, you wouldn't insult Dianne like you just did." Amanda responded.

"Maybe it would help if I actually knew why she lost her leg. What, crushed while saving kittens from a burning house? Or did she just get lazy and let it fall apart-" Liv replied.

"No one knows why." Finn cut her off, Liv looking at him. "She doesn't talk about why she has it, and I know that look in her eyes says that she doesn't because it's too hard to bring it up. So how about you try, really try, to just respect her and let it go?!"

Liv stormed off, Finn closing the door and turning to Amanda as she tied her long hair into a messy ponytail and forcefully tugged at it out of anger… reaching over, Finn lightly rested his hands on hers after her hair was secured.

"You always feel strongly about her leg…" Amanda said while glancing at herself in the mirror, Finn knowing that her mention of it was in a questioning manner.

"Over time, you learn to read people's looks, expressions… like everyone, I don't know why she lost her leg. But reading into her face… it was through something she's proud of yet terrified to remember. And to me… that sounds like sacrifice. To insult her over that is just… wrong." Finn explained, resting his hands on her shoulders midway through and the two's eye contact being through looking at themselves in the mirror.

"It is." Amanda replied as the faint scent of Japanese Blossoms caught Finn's attention… but the scar on her upper back did too, just below her shoulder blade. "You see it, don't you?" She asked.

"Yeah…. Thin, long, straight at first but with a slight curve towards your right shoulder blade." Finn answered, lightly trailing his finger along the small scar.

"17 wasn't such a good time in my life…" Amanda said quietly as she leaned against him.

At the Fastlane press conference, Amanda and Finn were some of the few there… when they sat down, they both felt hands on their shoulders and turned, seeing Dean.

"What's he saying now?" Amanda asked.

"He's giving the press edited images that show you two together, and Mandy you've got a damn hickey!" Dean answered quietly.

"Can I kill him?" Amanda asked in frustration.

"I wouldn't recommend it." Dean responded as several of the others filed in, Cesaro sitting down next to Amanda and turning her to him.

"Yes, Mr. King of Swing, what is it? Angry mob of fans outside?" Amanda questioned.

"Worse… Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and they are royally pissed off." Cesaro answered, Amanda cursing under her breath.

"Stay here." Amanda whispered before heading out the back and finding the two former NWO members. "Guys, let's not get crazy here." She said, Scott getting her to sit down and crouching down to her eye level before showing her the photo he found on his windshield.

"Who is he?!" Scott asked.

"Scott, it's an edited photo." Amanda responded, trying to stand up but Kevin forced her to sit back down.

"Edited or not, what certainly isn't edited is the fact that you were with him, so again, who is he?!" Scott replied, repeating himself.

"He's a friend of mine." Amanda said as Finn walked outside, Kevin turning to him.

"Finn Balor… you're the kid Hunter signed to the company in 2014." Kevin responded.

"And I watched you two back when you were in WCW… but you don't have to treat Mandy like a teenager, she's grown and made her own decisions. Some were rough ones but that's how kids are…" Finn said before carefully guiding Amanda into the building as she adjusted her asymmetrical print top.

"I don't know if I like this one bit, Kev. She grew up with my kids. She grew up with your son too… it's hard not seeing that little kid who used to wear the NWO shirt and put a toothpick in her mouth and say "Hey, yo.". And why didn't you punch him?!" Scott responded.

"Because he was right… he's done nothing to either of us, and Amanda is old enough to make her own decisions and learn from them herself." Kevin replied.

"She is, he's right… it's like we blinked and she wasn't 12 anymore." Scott said.

Back in the building, Amanda and Finn sat down and he rested his right hand on her lower back.

"They're still scary guys…" Amanda said quietly as the press conference started with TMZ creator Harvey Levin turning to them.

"The recent happenings and events… involve you a lot, so we're told. You've stepped quite far into the spotlights lately." Harvey said.

"Yes but unintentionally… hey, do you still practice law?" Amanda responded.

"Are you planning on suing Seth Rollins?" Harvey asked once the camera was off, Seth's head snapping up.

"We still have to make a decision on that." Finn responded, Harvey turning the camera back on.

"Okay. About the photos, edited?" Harvey questioned.

"Edited… but that's how life is at times, people turn crazy." Amanda replied, Seth starting to stand up but Emma pulling him back into his seat.

"Sit down, asswipe!" Emma growled as one of the cameramen from the Whatculture Wrestling website walked up to Seth.

Seth had to figure a way out and fast.


	6. Questions, Answers & Speculation

_**11/3/15, Copper Jacks Nightclub...**_

 _Lovin Every Minute Of It by Loverboy played as Finn did a few more shots of tequila before crouching down to where Amanda was stretched out on the bar and left more light kisses and bites on her toned abdomen that had salt sprinkled onto it, Amanda leaning her head back and closing her eyes as she let out a soft moaning sound when he went lower, her jeans pulled down partly and Finn biting her inner thighs too, the top of his head lightly brushing between Amanda's legs and her thighs carefully wrapping around his head, her legs resting on his back._

" _What in the hell has gotten into those two?" Konnor asked with a slight laugh._

" _One too many tequila shots, a game of truth of dare and now I feel like we're in some sort of online X-rated video." Baron responded before he saw Finn trailing his lips back up Amanda again._

" _I'll say it again, the Demon King is a fucking lightweight." Viktor said with a chuckle, catching the unfolding scene in front of him on his phone as Finn took the piece of lime out of Amanda's mouth with his own and tossed it aside at the same time that Seth walked into the nightclub, also looking to unwind._

" _Doesn't seem to bother the Demon Mistress though…" Joe replied as Amanda started running her fingers through Finn's hair… before Finn screamed as he was snatched off of Amanda, who pulled her jeans back up and fixed them before ran at Seth but she was grabbed by Konnor._

" _Damn it, let go of me! He's gonna hurt Finn!" Amanda yelled as she fought against Konnor but he maintained his tight grip on her even when she elbowed him in the face and Konnor screamed as his nose broke and he fell, yelling out in pain after Amanda punched him in the ribs._

" _Put your hands and lips on my Shield sister, huh boy?!" Seth growled, Konnor screaming again as Amanda grabbed him by his right arm and spun him around, launching the Ascension member part of the way across the bar before taking the tequila bottle and bashing it over the Architect's head, forcing him to let the Demon King go._

 _Thinking quickly, the Demon Mistress helped Finn up and grabbed her black trench coat and Kiss: Hot In The Shade tour tank top and her and Finn left the bar as the bartender aimed a shotgun at them._

" _Well, that's the end of that party." Amanda responded after shoving her tank top and coat back on._

" _Yeah… but hey, plenty of other bars in this part of town." Finn said, the two leaving._

" _Told you it was a bad idea to come over here." Baron replied, him and Viktor helping Seth and Konnor up._

" _And now I know why they say that messing with Mandy will get you seriously hurt!" Konnor said as he saw glass shards sticking out of his arms._

 _At the same time, Amanda and Finn stopped to recompose themselves and he reached over._

" _Are you feeling alright?" Finn asked as he buttoned up Amanda's coat to keep her warm._

" _Yeah… just a bit freaked. By the time we get to England and Scotland, this tour's gonna completely wear us out… but it'll be worth it." Amanda answered as she stopped shaking and the two embraced each other._

 _Before they reached the hotel, Amanda had to lean against a wall for a few seconds… and lurched forward a bit, Finn holding her hair back as she threw up the alcohol in her system. When she stopped, Finn helped her straighten to her full height and lightly brushed her hair back._

" _Should've told ya it was a bit too strong…" Finn said, stopping Amanda as she tried to walk forward and picking her up in his arms. She leaned against him as he took her to the hotel and was half out of it when they reached the elevator._

 _It was clear that Amanda hadn't drank like this in a long time…_

 **Present time…**

"I swear up and down, photos are legitimate." Seth said cooly, Emma turning him towards her.

"What the hell are you doing? Tell them the truth!" Emma hissed.

"And I thought that things got chaotic in the locker room, he's still lying out his ass." Amanda muttered as Finn rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"Maybe you going and shoving…" Finn said quietly before whispering the rest to her, Amanda snickering.

"My sense of humor has rubbed off on you, you're being naughty." Amanda responded in the same tone as the two smiled and his left hand rested on hers, Finn's right hand still on her back.

"Maybe… or maybe in some ways we're just too damn similar." Finn replied.

"The hell's going on over there?" Roman asked after turning to Dean.

"Maybe we're not supposed to know just yet." Dean responded as Harvey turned to Cody to ask him about the Stardust storyline.

"Given the recent actions, will there be a change in this? A split personality character of sorts or any more involvement from Mandy and Finn?" Harvey asked.

"I can't say too much about the character itself… mainly because I don't know until the scripts get handed out, but creative has been showing a lot of… interest in Finn and Amanda lately." Cody answered, not giving away anything about the upcoming change to Stardust involving a second 'half' to the character as the storyline for it was intended to be entirely secret and all about reveals.

"Someone's gotta get Eric Bischoff back into the WWE." Amanda whispered.

"I think he might be coming back." Finn responded as the cameraman from Whatculture wrestling turned to John.

"Not much reaction following the upload of the video from last night, John? Your sister was genuinely startled… scared, almost." He replied.

"Here's my reaction, when a woman says to back off, back off!" John responded, eyes narrowed at Cody and then at Seth. "You two jackasses have caused my little sis nothing but trouble and pain and it's damn well gonna stop!" He growled threateningly, standing up as Seth charged over. "I mean it! What kind of friend treats her like you have?! You know damn well she'd never go through with the second thing you suggested last night!" He said, pushing Seth back when Seth saw Finn stand up and put himself in front of Amanda as she stood up.

Absentmindedly, his left hand brushed against her stomach and her left hand rested on his… and Seth turned livid when he saw it as pictures were taken of the moment.

"If creative's willing to listen, I've got a few ideas." Aestrid whispered to Hunter.

At the hotel later, Seth heard a loud knock at the door and opened it, seeing Amanda.

"What the hell were you trying to pull today?! The edited pics, the lying, do you really hate me that much?!" Amanda demanded, arms crossed after walking in and Seth closing the door.

"I'll tell you one thing, Mandy. I didn't make those pictures." Seth responded, before he took out his phone and flicked through his emails until he came to one in which the pictures had been sent to him, from an account which had been deactivated afterwards.

"You still put them out into the media, that's not any better than them being sent to you! I thought of you the same way I think of John… but you? You threw me aside after stabbing me in the back!" Amanda said angrily, closing her eyes for a few seconds after Seth set his phone down. "I spent a long time wondering why you did what you did… and then it hit me. I started to stand on my own, away from The Shield and you hated it! Who do you think suggested that we as a group split on screen?! You treated me like I was helpless and I wanted to prove that I'm not!" She responded, Seth's eyes widening in shock.

Seth slammed his right fist into Amanda's stomach, expecting her to fall… but he heard a sickening crack and yanked his hand back, screaming in pain and cradling it to him. Without hesitation, Amanda pulled her top up and revealed a homemade metal shield.

"Think I'd come in here unprepared?" Amanda asked sarcastically after adjusting her top and Seth sticking his hand into the ice bucket.

"Fuck!" Seth yelled.

"Well I warned ya back when we were in the UK in November that if you ever put your hands on me again, something of yours is gonna break!" Amanda responded.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd be talking about breaking my hand!" Seth responded, pain making him angrier.

"You aimed right for my stomach and it wasn't by random chance either, you really are out of your mind!" Amanda replied, Seth relocating his index finger after taking his hand out of the ice and the door busting open, Aestrid and Finn running in.

"Oh no you didn't, you absolute idiot!" Aestrid yelled before charging ahead, slamming into Seth and throwing him to the ground.

"Ace-" Seth shouted, Aestrid punching him as Finn got Amanda out of there and into the elevator, slamming the button to close the doors and immediately checking on her as he had no idea about the metal.

"Calm down…" Amanda said, revealing the metal shield and Finn going from worried to pulling her close to him and the two hugging.

"You know Ace… she won't let up until he's out cold with blood across his mouth." Finn said after a few moments of them holding each other close.

"Yeah. Can you take this off me? I think Brie strapped it on a bit too tight." Amanda replied, Finn unfastening the straps and pulling the metal off of Amanda.

Amanda readjusted her top as the doors opened, Aestrid running into it and hitting the lobby floor button.

"Ace-" Amanda started to say as the doors closed, Aestrid turning to her.

"I am not standing by and letting… him get away with hurting anyone!" Aestrid growled, her fists still bunched as she was still rushing with rage.

"Ace, look!" Amanda responded, Finn showing Aestrid the metal shield and Aestrid looking at Amanda.


	7. Minds Alike

_**50 minutes earlier…**_

" _Alright one half of twin magic, what's the plan?" Amanda asked after walking into the room, Brie closing the door and taking the metal shield out of the bag. "Did you borrow that from Bret Hart?" She asked._

" _Yep. Come on, turn around." Brie responded, Amanda doing so and pulling her top up. She readjusted it after Brie put the metal on her, turning to Brie._

" _Brie, Seth might not even try to punch me." Amanda said, Brie getting her to sit down and both seeing Owen appear. "I wish I had gotten to know you better… Owen, you still had so much left to do in life. Why didn't you ask them to drop the Blue Blazer storyline?" She said as he sat down and rested a hand on the back of her head like Chris used to._

" _Because no one saw it coming, not even me… all I did was shift wrong, the cause was… nothing more than misplaced trust in the designers." Owen responded._

" _It doesn't make it right…" Amanda replied, Owen and Brie realising that she had climbed onto John's shoulders to see better that night and saw the accident… reaching over, Owen pulled Amanda into his arms and Brie lightly rubbed her hand up and down Amanda's back._

 _After a few minutes, all three were stood up._

" _So you're sure he'll aim right for it with how angry he is?" Amanda asked._

" _Ghosts can sense unyielding rage, kid." Owen answered, Amanda taking a deep breath before leaving._

 _She reached the elevator but Kane, who had no idea of what was true, stopped her as he only knew she was going to confront Seth._

" _Nope, not in your condition." Kane said._

" _Kane, you're gonna have to trust me on this one, pal." Amanda replied, Kane refusing to let go as Undertaker reached them._

" _What's going on here, where's kiddo headed to?" Undertaker asked, Kane yelling out in pain and letting go of Amanda before cradling his left hand. "Mandy!" He said._

" _What, he wouldn't let go!" Amanda responded, getting into the elevator._

" _Stubborn kid…" Kane muttered after the doors closed and the elevator went up…_

 **Present time…**

In the nearest ER, Seth growled as his hand was in a cast and Kane walked in.

"Oh, tell me you didn't-" Kane started to say, fists clenched in rage.

"She had a metal shield on." Seth replied, Kane relaxing his hands. "She fucking outfoxed me!" He said.

"Well she picked that behavior up from a lot of us back in the Attitude Era… but you still aimed for her stomach, you little punk." Kane responded as Dianne walked in. "Your upper leg okay?" He asked.

"Yeah… just a little ache is all. Having pins and screws in your bone will do that." Dianne answered, before looking at Seth. "But the leg would make a wonderful blunt force weapon, so how about you explain nice and calmly, what the hell went through your head."

"The hell went through my head?! She stormed in there and had a metal shield protecting-" Seth started to say.

"You can't bring yourself to say it… even if Mandy was pregnant, that innocent kid didn't do anything to you!" Dianne responded.

"Wait, so why was Finn all protective of her at the press conference?!" Kane asked.

"You know how he is when this one gets angry at her!" Dianne answered.

"I suppose so… you take everything out of context, don't you Seth? Every damn time!" Kane responded.

"So what, she was trying to prove a point?!" Seth replied.

"He was protecting her from you. That's the only point about it." Dianne answered.

Back at the hotel, Amanda had changed into her pajamas and cleaned her makeup off… it was still early but she felt so tired and Finn and Aestrid could see that.

"Just rest for a bit… you need it." Finn said quietly, helping Amanda into the bed. When Amanda was asleep, Aestrid felt something brush past her and climb onto the bed before seeing little Daniel.

"Daddy and Mommy always said that she takes on too much stress." Daniel responded, putting his tiny hands on Amanda's forehead.

"What do you have in mind, kiddo?" Finn asked.

"When I get stressed, I go away to a different room… maybe she should go away for a little while as well. Away from all the cameras and loud noise and that." Daniel answered.

Curling his little body onto its side, Daniel listened to Amanda's thoughts and dream…

" _Oh my, that crowd is crazy out there!" Amanda said with a laugh as she and Chris reached the backstage area at Wrestlemania 33 and hugged. "I missed you being on the road. Is Daniel gonna join during the summer?" She responded as they let go._

" _Yeah… but kiddo? I've been giving it some thought…" Chris said._

" _Retirement? Chris, you're only 46." Amanda replied._

" _I know… but this business is a very active one. We're athletes, and think about it. In a decade in this work, we make more moves than we would in a lifetime of a normal job… 46 is about right." Chris explained._

" _I know but I'll miss you being around me every day, it's all I've known since I was a kid." Amanda said, brushing her tears away. "And I have something to tell you too… Finn wants me to go meet his family in Ireland." She replied, Chris smiling._

" _That's a big step, bringing someone home to meet the family." Chris responded._

" _I'm insanely nervous about it. What if they don't like me?" Amanda said, Chris resting his hands on her shoulders._

" _There's nothing about you to not be liked, Amanda. They'll take you like you're their own." Chris replied._

" _Just like you did without any hesitation." Amanda said as they looked and saw Eddie and Finn talking. "Should I be worried?" She asked._

" _Nah, he ain't gonna hurt him. Eddie? You're not gonna get angry, right?" Chris responded, Eddie turning to them._

" _Angry? Would never dream of it." Eddie answered as he and Amanda hugged._

 _Amanda and Finn looked at each other after she walked over to him and stood up on her tiptoes, the two kissing._

" _You know, Chris? I wouldn't change this for the world, it's so good to see her happy." Eddie said quietly._

" _That it is, old friend… that it is." Chris replied…_

Amanda stretched her back out a bit in her sleep, Daniel and Sachael watching as Finn lightly brushed Amanda's hair back.

"She treated me like her little brother… I miss being able to just talk to her." Daniel said.

"I do too, Danny." Sachael whispered.

 _ **WWE Fastlane…**_

"Still no idea on who it is? What is it with those guys?" Amanda asked after Cody told her that creative wouldn't tell him who the second person is to play Stardust.

"I haven't known them to keep secrets like this for a long time… but whoever it is, they must want it to be a big reveal. To audience and staff alike." Cody replied, sitting down in a chair nearby.

"The more they hold out on us, the more I want to punch them." Amanda muttered as her right hand moved to the right side of her when a dull ache hit, Cody standing up and helping her sit down. "I'm alright, the steel jammed into my side really forcefully a few days back." She said, referring to when Kevin Owens ran right at the steps on Raw and dropkicked them, too frenzied to notice Amanda at ringside.

Amanda stood up and headed off to the locker room, knocking on the door… when Kevin opened it, she shoved the script at him, part of it circled in red.

"See? Right there circled. No. Physical. Violence directed at me! Try getting out of it by saying you didn't know that should you hurt me again tonight." Amanda replied, Kevin handing the script back to her and dragging her into the locker room by her slightly oversized mossy green babydoll tank top and closing the door.

"Something's being hidden and I don't like that!" Kevin said angrily.

"Kevin, I'm not hiding anything from you! I'm trying to find out what's being hidden so we all don't get blindsided!" Amanda responded, Kevin pulling on the front of her top to demonstrate its roominess. "Don't touch me!" She growled, Kevin lowering his hand and tilting his head to the side for a few seconds in curiosity.

"That kid's causing a major shift in your balance." Kevin said.

"If that's what you want to believe, go ahead and believe it. I'll happily let your theory blow up in your face." Amanda replied before turning to leave, Kevin stopping her. "If I don't get back to Finn, he's gonna come looking for you!" She shouted after slapping him, Kevin turning angrier as the door flew open and Finn charged in and punched him.

"You wanna do this, huh? You gonna play rough on her, you go through me first!" Finn growled.

"Play rough, all I did was grab her wrist!" Kevin shouted, Finn pulling the side of Amanda's top up and revealing the six day old bruise.

"The last time you were near her, this happened! Frenzied or not, she hasn't gotten a full night's sleep since." Finn replied, his right hand grabbing Amanda's left one before leading her out of there and into their own locker room after grabbing the script. "Don't go out there during that match… stay back here with me." He said quietly before sitting down on the couch and pulling her onto his lap before wrapping his arms around her.

Amanda responded by wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his right shoulder, nodding in agreement.

She knew that when he worried about her was when he would convince her to stay backstage with him.


	8. Wouldn't Change It For Anything

_**11/4/15, 3:30 am…**_

 _In the bar at the Ashling hotel and drinking heavily, Seth found himself arguing with Baron._

" _Why don't you just give the poor girl a break! It's just characters she and Finn play on Tv and even if they are together, what business is it of-" Baron shouted, cut off by Seth punching the self proclaimed lone wolf in the face… and Baron returning the favor with one of his own._

" _You overgrown shitbird!" Seth shouted, tackling Baron to the floor at the same time that an exhausted Amanda was getting off of the elevator and heading towards the bar, a call from the bartender being the reason why._

" _For fuck's sake, stop this fucking second!" Amanda screamed, the young diva running over and trying to pull the two apart… only to receive a strong punch in the face that threw her back first into the bar._

" _Damn it…" Baron said quietly, him pulling Seth up and both walking towards Amanda, who backed away._

 _Amanda's instinct was to grab a Heineken bottle and smash it against the bar, aiming the jagged edges at the Architect and the Lone Wolf, both backing away in shock._

" _Keep… your damn hands off me! Both of you!" Amanda hissed angrily, the small brunette dropping the bottle and heading back to the elevator._

 _Pressing the button that closed the doors, Amanda pressed the button that led to the fifth floor and closed her eyes._

 _She didn't know who had punched her… and at the moment, she was too angry to think straight and didn't care._

' _Damn… why couldn't I have just stayed up in the room and slept?!' Amanda thought, blood trailing from the split in her lower lip as she got off the elevator and headed towards her room. Shaking, she put the keycard in the slot but the door wouldn't open when she pulled on the handle._

" _We're a few rooms down the hall, my little..." Amanda heard, causing her to jump out of her skin and spin around… and Finn's blue eyes widened in shock when he saw her bruised right eye and bleeding lip._

" _Mandy, what happened?!" Finn asked, his hands immediately on Amanda's shoulders._

 _They only played the Demon King and Demon Mistress characters on Tv but he cared about her too much and seeing her hurt, it angered him._

" _Drunken fistfight between Seth and Baron… fucking idiots." Amanda answered, Finn helping her to the room and opening it with the keycard before the two walked in and grabbed her things, leaving Seth's things scattered around._

 _Heading out, the two reached Finn's room and Finn helped Amanda sit down after putting her things on the floor._

" _Damn… whoever punched ya really put a lot of force into it. You're lucky to still be conscious, lass." Finn said, putting some ice in a plastic bag and pressing it to Amanda's bruised face._

" _Strong enough to throw me back first into the bar." Amanda muttered quietly, Finn pulling the back of Amanda's hoodie and cami up and seeing the bruises forming._

" _Fucking hell…" Finn growled under his breath, remembering that the last time he had seen bruises on her back, they had resulted from Kevin Owens's finisher as he noticed Amanda rubbing her right shoulder. "Hold still." He said, his accented voice returning to its gentleness as he unzipped Amanda's hoodie, pulled it off and examined her right shoulder._

 _There was no bruising… but he could tell that it hurt her. Setting the ice pack off of her face, he decided to bandage it to her shoulder instead and turned the Tv on._

' _The things I do to try to help friends.' Amanda thought… and ironically, it was at the same time that the familiar pink dog she grew up watching on Tv said "The things I do for love.", Amanda chuckling at that and letting a small smile out, finding comfort in Finn helping her and in Courage talking._

" _Watching this in my younger years, I sometimes got the feeling that it wasn't meant to be watched by anyone under 13." Amanda replied._

" _Especially with the King Ramses and Freaky Fred episodes." Finn responded._

" _Oh, King Ramses gave me nightmares as a child." Amanda said, her and Finn laughing._

" _Return the slab… or suffer my curse." Finn responded, his impersonation of King Ramses making Amanda laugh again._

" _What's yer offer?!" Amanda asked, mimicking Eustace and making Finn laugh._

 _Unwrapping the bandages from her after the next episode started, which in irony was King Ramses Curse, Finn helped Amanda lie down on the bed and pulled the covers over the pajama clad brunette before stretching out next to her._

 _Long days and nights travelling on the road weren't so crazy with the two helping each other take their minds off things..._

 **Present time…**

Being held and resting her head on Finn's right shoulder, Amanda felt relaxed again… she didn't want to move at all.

She moved herself closer to him, her head now resting on his torso and Finn moving his right hand up to run his fingers through her hair.

' _I wonder how Seth and the others would actually react if we took off for a few days…'_ Amanda thought as they looked at each other.

Show after show after show was just getting to her and Finn knew it… as they were about to speak, a folded piece of paper was slid under the door.

Finn stood up after helping Amanda sit up and walked over, picking the paper up and unfolded it.

' _Just outside of the Greenwich county line in Connecticut is a spacious cabin that will provide you two the privacy that is needed. There's a car waiting to take you two to the airport, the WWE jet is fully stocked with what you'll need and I have written you out of the storylines for a few days.-Stephanie.'_

The two grabbed what they had brought with them and left, Finn wrapping his right arm around Amanda.

Finn wasn't sure what time it was when they got to the cabin but as he looked at Amanda, who had taken her makeup off and changed into a pair of _Balor Club Worldwide_ lounge pants and a white cami and was now asleep in his arms, he took her up the stairs and into the master bedroom.

Finn lightly pulled the covers back before setting Amanda down on the bed and pulling the covers over her before kissing her on her forehead and going to get their things.

Once everything was where it should be, Finn changed into a pair of pajamas and climbed under the covers with Amanda and wrapped his arms around her before drifting off into sleep himself.

Back in Cleveland, Seth, Dean and Roman busted down the door to Finn and Amanda's hotel room… only to find it empty.

"Damn it!" Seth hissed angrily.

And now he was thoroughly convinced that what was left of his and Amanda's friendship was being sabotaged.


	9. Rest & Relaxation Always Escapes Us

_**November 24th 2009, WWE SmackDown Taping set to air November 27th 2009…**_

" _Fine, I'll just admit it, you're acting like a modern day version of Charles Manson! And it's creeping me out!" 19 year old Amanda responded once they were backstage, which startled Phil Brooks, better known to the wrestling world as CM Punk. "I'm sorry, Phil… but I'm gonna ask creative to end my involvement in this storyline, I can't do it even when we're on opposite sides on Tv." She said before she turned to leave, Phil gripping her by her right wrist._

" _You better reconsider what you just said, Mandy… or it won't just be on screen that we're on opposite sides!" Phil growled, Amanda pulling her wrist away and backhanding him._

" _I'm not gonna reconsider it and you can't force me to!" Amanda responded as Punk put his right hand to his mouth, which was split open. "I'm gonna damn well stand on my own… and hell, if you're gonna really criticize me for the occasional glass of wine, just remember that I know my limits and people use different ways to calm their nerves." She said before heading off further into the arena and finding herself leaning against the wall… only for a tall shadow to nearly eclipse her and her turning and seeing Adam, who rested his left hand on her right side… before seeing that her wrist was bruising._

" _What happened, kiddo?" Adam asked._

" _Phil nearly dislocated my shoulder after I told him that his storyline creeps me out and I want no further involvement in it." Amanda responded, Adam carefully pulling her into a hug._

" _You're away from it now, that's the main thing. Those who won't accept your happiness… they're not worth keeping around." Adam replied a few moments after._

" _They're not… I'd rather be in a storyline of my own, as a character who can stand on her own but they don't think I'm ready. They're thinking of signing someone in a few months and within another year or two, putting him and me in a storyline, whoever he is." Amanda said before both saw a tall man with long dark hair walk over to them._

" _This the little lady you wanted me to meet?" He asked, Adam nodding as he and Amanda let go._

" _Mandy, this is Seth. Seth, this is my friend Mandy." Adam responded as Amanda and Seth shook hands and Seth cringed when he saw the bruises on her wrist._

" _You have been through a good amount of hell, haven't you?" Seth questioned once their hands let go._

" _Damn, just meeting each other and you're good at figuring that out." Amanda responded before the two laughed._

" _You two have fun. And take this with you." Adam said, handing a fake ID to Amanda before she and Seth headed down the hall._

" _How old are you?" Seth asked._

" _19." Amanda answered, which made Seth's eyes widen._

" _Damn… you're practically a child in this industry." Seth responded._

" _You don't look much older." Amanda said._

" _23." Seth replied before they reached the locker room._

 _Amanda grabbed her things and then they left to go have fun…_

 **Present time** _ **,**_ _ **February 25th 2016…**_

Amanda stretched her limbs as she woke up, her now shoulder length hair a slight mess… it had been a peaceful few days out in the rural area and Amanda and Finn had spent the time together having fun and being somewhat disconnected from their phones.

But when she saw the look on Finn's face, she knew someone had found them.

"You remember that estranged and very jealous friend you told me about?" Finn asked, Amanda's eyes widening.

"Phil's outside?!" Amanda responded.

"Yeah and I think I know how he found us." Finn answered, handing his phone to Amanda and her seeing the article headline and picture of them from last night leaving a diner.

' _Rumored WWE couple found on getaway after 4 days of media silence'_

"So he sees one tawdry headline and an innocent picture and Phil travels out here? I honestly don't know why he would because the last time I saw him, he acted like I fucked him over." Amanda responded, Finn lightly rubbing his right hand up and down her back.

"When you were just trying to help him." Finn replied.

"I honestly thought he was dying in front of me… and because of the staph infection, he almost did." Amanda responded.

And the two were unaware that Sachael had been listening… until she appeared to them.

"Oh my… damn!" Finn exclaimed as he, in a split second of shock, had perceived Sachael as a lost girl who'd gotten injured and found her way into their temporary place before climbing off the bed to help her.

"Thanks, but…" Sachael responded, stopping as her words were demonstrated for her by Finn's arm going through her non-physical form as he was about to help her to the kitchen, where the first aid items were kept.

"You scared the hell outta me!" Amanda responded once she recovered from the shock.

"You didn't think I was still around? I'm always around... sorry about disappearing after Fastlane." Sachael replied while she sat down on the window ledge, glancing at Finn as he still seemed to be processing what had just happened.

Amanda walked over and hugged Finn to calm him down, Finn holding her close to him… before they heard a knock at the cabin door and heard Phil.

"You want me to handle something here?" Sachael questioned, looking at the two of them as they let go.

"No… I've got this." Amanda responded before she headed downstairs, unlocked the cabin door and opened it… and Phil saw her. "Been a long time." She replied, Phil seeing how tired she looked from years of stress.

"Who and where is he?" Phil questioned after walking in and closing the door.

"Phil, it's been two years since you walked out. Why would you care?" Amanda responded before Phil saw Finn walk downstairs and over to them.

"Anything you want to say to her, you can say in front of me." Finn replied, his right hand resting on Amanda's back… before Phil noticed Sachael.

He didn't think much at first… but then he looked back and saw her injuries, his eyes widening in horror.

"Phil… that's my childhood friend, Sachael." Amanda explained, Phil looking back to her.

"And torture subject by the looks of… wait, Sachael? Dead Sachael?!" Phil responded, pausing halfway through as he looked at her.

He jumped in fright though, when Sachael's response was to step forward and walk right through Finn and Amanda. "Yep."

"Sach… that felt horrible." Amanda spoke slowly, once the sudden jarring shivers stopped rattling her spine.

"Sorry… I'll not do that again." Sachael responded, looking back at them for a moment.

"Wait… does Seth know where you two are?" Phil asked as they sat down in the living room.

"I hope not." Amanda responded.

Phil knew that Amanda's friendship with Seth had fallen apart.


	10. The Barrier Between

_**December 30th 2013…**_

" _I don't think you're a joke, Dean, I just think you're the weak link! And I want to find out who the strong one of The Shield is!" Phil responded as Amanda and Roman held Dean back. "Mandy Cena, look at me!" He replied, Amanda turning to Phil. "Is it you? Are these three holding you back because you're outshining them? Because hey, you'll continue to outshine them on your natural wrestling ability alone-"_

" _Hey!" Seth called out after putting Amanda behind him, Phil turning to Seth. "You want to find out who the best in the world is? You're looking at him, I'll fight you tonight!" He replied before Roman pulled Seth aside._

 _And Dean snuck his arms around Amanda in a sibling like manner, his head resting on her right shoulder._

" _Big brother, we have a long night ahead of us." Amanda whispered._

" _Yes we do, little sister." Dean replied quietly before he kissed Amanda on the side of her head._

 _In the backstage area, Amanda snuck away from the boys to check on Phil… and he pulled his old friend into his arms, Amanda returning the hug._

 _It was obvious that Seth was wearing down on Amanda's nerves and Phil could tell how tired she was getting of it._

" _If I were you, I'd consider a little distance from him, kiddo. And sorry if I scared you out there." Phil responded as he lightly cradled Amanda's face in his hands, Amanda nodding in agreement before they held each other again._

 _Little did Amanda know how much would change._

 _Once alone, Amanda was listening to The End by The Doors._

 _She needed to untangle the thoughts in her mind… but something had her worried about Phil._

 _He had flinched when she touched his back… and that meant he was in pain…_

 **Present time** _ **, February 25th 2016…**_

"So about a week and a half ago while I was dealing with a migraine, it all started with a nightmare of me seeing everyone I'd ever lost… Eddie, Chris, Daniel, Nancy… it overwhelmed me." Amanda explained, Finn lightly rubbing her back as Amanda was feeling a dull ache through her spine as a residual effect of Sachael walking right through her.

"That would overwhelm anyone. What would make something like that happen?" Phil responded.

"It was me, crossing back." Sachael answered, Phil looking at her. "Normally spirits, angels, whatever, we're on one side or the other, beyond or phased in the living. We can look and communicate between, but rarely do we actually travel between the two, I'd imagine quite a few people who knew me in life actually had a similar experience."

"So who showed up first? Amongst them?" Phil questioned.

"Nancy. Then it was Chris." Amanda responded as she and Phil looked at each other. "I know, I just… I haven't called Rey yet and told him." She replied.

"They're his friends too, I think he'd help you get some closure." Phil responded, Finn nodding in agreement.

Amanda headed upstairs, grabbing her phone and hesitating… until she felt a slight breeze and saw Eddie.

"You and Rey… always like brothers…" Amanda responded.

"We always will be." Eddie replied, glancing over Amanda's left shoulder as Sachael came upstairs, her form having changed from her dead resemblance to her more pure angelic, shining form that more truly resembled her as the angel of water.

Amanda dialed the number and after two rings, Rey picked up.

"Rey, hi." Amanda replied.

"Mandy, how are you? Where are you, little lady?" Rey asked.

"Rural Connecticut… and I'm… Rey, I'm overwhelmed. The spirits of our friends are here." Amanda answered, Rey turning concerned.

"Are you okay, are… why would they be appearing all the way in Connecticut? We've never had a connection in much of a form there." Rey questioned in response.

"Only times we've been here are for business reasons… Rey, it all started with a nightmare and then they all showed up. Including Sachael." Amanda responded as she sat down, back against the dresser as Eddie crouched down to her.

"All too much to handle at once." Rey replied.

"I keep feeling the need to call Vickie and tell her that Eddie is here but I don't want to scare her… I don't know how to untangle everything, Rey, that's why Finn and I are in Connecticut." Amanda explained before she saw Finn crouch down in front of her and he held her right hand on his left one and him brushing her tears away.

"To try to unwind and untangle everything away from the glaring eye of the media… and from how you've been on Tv lately, you need it." Rey replied.

"He's right, Darlin'." Finn responded.

"Thanks for telling me everything, Mandy. Now you and him go and unwind." Rey replied.

"We will. Thanks, Rey." Amanda responded.

"Anytime, kiddo. I'll always listen." Rey replied before they hung up, Amanda and Finn hugging before they stood up again.

They were alone in the bedroom again after they finally let go… but they knew it wouldn't be long before Sachael or the others reappeared.

"Now… let's go get ready and start off this day." Finn replied.

After doing so, Amanda and Finn headed downstairs to Phil… who smiled.

"That's better…" Phil responded before the three left to go get something to eat.

In Orlando, Seth was losing it at the NXT general manager William Regal.

"What do you mean they're not here?!" Seth demanded.

"I mean I haven't seen them since the tapings earlier this month! And in all honesty, you've driven poor Mandy crazy, I was wondering when she would finally run off with Finn! Bloody hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they return as newlyweds, they could be anywhere with one of those little chapels!" William responded. "At some point, those two will get married, have a family and settle into the life they want and no one can stop it!" He replied before he left.

Seth heard his phone chime and looked at it, seeing an article sent to him along with a text from Alexa.

' _I think it's time those two have their little getaway crashed, don't you?'_

' _I'll meet you at the airport.'_ Seth responded before he left.

It was after spending the day together that Phil decided to check into a hotel and Finn and Amanda headed back to the cabin… and both eyed the hot tub but given that it was now 27° outside, decided to wait until the weather got warmer.

They changed into pajamas though and Amanda took her makeup off before she walked back downstairs and sat down next to Finn, who pulled an oversized navy blanket over them and put his right arm around her.

Amanda rested her head on his shoulder as _Casablanca_ was starting… and Finn could tell that despite the fact that Amanda and Phil had gotten along today that she still felt awkward being around her old friend.

"Hey…" Finn replied softly, Amanda looking up at him. "You two will be back to some sort of friendship at some point, Darlin'... just give it time." He reassured her, kissing Amanda on her forehead as his left arm wrapped around her and the two curled up closer to each other.

Amanda knew that Finn was right.


End file.
